Cartoon

Queen Josephine has been drawing a scene in pen and ink since 1981. Having studied a Foundation at the Norwich School of Art in 1981 Queen Josephine graduated with a BA in Expressive Arts from Brighton University in 1985. A career in the city’s vibrant 80s and 90s music scene soon followed with her bands Queue Dance, Jack and XiXi for whom she designed record and cassette covers as well as performing as a singer / songwriter. Immersing herself in clubbing culture, and when not bashing bongos at The Zap’s legendary Coco Club, Queen Josephine designed numerous flyers, banners and club décor for Shameless Hussies and Housewife’s Choice as well as contributing cartoons for the infamous Girlfrenzy fanzine.

A cartooning diary addict Queenie has always chronicled her 26 years of Brighton adventures as a regal DJ with wife and deck partner Kate Wildblood. But in 2013 after a nasty bone breaking, skull fracturing accident Josephine began chronicling her recovery daily in the now infamous Ouch House Diaries, drawing tales of Tramadol dreams, bin bag baths and the true stars of her recuperation, her feline nurses Madge and Hubbell. And it was through this remarkable year-long project she secured her bi-monthly cartoon Strip Service in Brighton’s GScene Magazine.

Queenie has co-curated Strike A Brighton Pose, Pride25 and Uniting Nations exhibitions for Brighton Pride at the city’s Jubilee Library and has been a passionate fundraiser for local causes auctioning her cartoons Ouch House 200 and 25 Years for The Rainbow Fund, Friends of Sussex County Hospital, MindOut and Blueprint 22. In 2016 Queenie began her Scene Queen adventures in Diva Magazine, chronicling the lives of lesbian heroines of the UK scene and also appeared in The Huffington Post with her critically acclaimed Me and BPD cartoon strip in which she examined her wife’s experiences of a living with a personality disorder. 2017 saw Queenie’s Claud Cunningham Scene Queen feature in the Queer Noiseexhibition at the People’s History Museum in Manchester and GFW (Gender Free Clothing) launching their exclusive Queen Josephine t-shirt collection featuring her designs Bee-ing Me and Sluts. A forever-regal seaside institution Queen Josephine continues to bring her love of life to our days and nights via pen and paper. Long may she do so.

For commercial or cartoon commissions and illustrations please click here to contact Queenie. Find all things Strip Service on Facebook.